The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-08-31
GENERAL HANCOCK,
Extracts from Re mtniscences of the G en-
eral by His Wife.

levees, in passing him i remarked that it
would be showing greater consideration
If ] were to refuse his Drofered hand, as
he must be weary enough of hand-shsking.
To this be replied, in MISUNDERSTANDING
tones: 'Ah, If this were all that was call
ed upon tc do, how willingly would 1t be
done for all time; but to say mo" to the
poor unfortunates who come to me in the
belief that / am all.powerful to pro-
nounce that little word of only three let
tiers, and who do not and will not under
stand that cannot sct always as wish,
but have others to consult-this keeps me
always unhappy Mr.. Stanton frequently
said to me: "Mr. Lincoln has the biggest
heart of any man in the world and for
that reason we have to watch him, or the
Southern women, with their winning ways,
would get his permission to carry with
them enough contraband goods TO supply
the Southern army"
The battle of Williamsburg was Han
cocks first triumphant success. He wrote
to his wife: son this occasion my men
behaved beautifully, ahd captured the first
color yet taken. My loss was 125 in killed
and wounded-a great number, showing
hard and determined fighting" An inter
val of some months occurred between Will
liamsburg and Antietam. Gen. Hancock
was engaged in every battle up to the time
when the order was issued relieving Gen.
to the command of the Army of the Poto-
mac. In letter to Mrs. Hancock he said:
THE Army are not satisfied with the
change, and consider the treatment of
Mcclellan most ungracious and inoppor-
time. Yet / do not sympathize in the
me vement going on to resist the order.
1T is useless tell the gentlemen around
ne. We are serving no one man; we are
serviI our country" After Chancellors-
VI lie no ur0fo.
PROFANITY WINS NO VICTORIES.
The day before the fight Hooker said to
a general officer: God Almighty could
not prevent me from winning victory to-
morrow Pray, could We expect a vic
tory after that? He also told Mr.. Lincoln
that he would either win a victory or be
in hell. The President told him to carry
come to us through such profanity. l re-
gTet that / cannot ask now for leave; no
general officer is allowed a leave of absence.
Gen. Couch asked for one, but was re-
fused, l understand that the opinion of
officers high in rank at this time would be
unpalatable. Hookers day is over. l
have been approached again in connection
with the command of the Army of the
Potomac. Give yourself no uneaslness-un-
der DO conditions would accept the COM
mand. / do not belong to that class of
generals whom the Republicans care to
bolster up. / should be sacrificed"
When Gettysburg was fought Mrs. Han
cock was visiting her mother in S.. Louis.
On the morning of July 3, 1868, Gen. Han
cock telegrsphed from the battlefield las
was his custom each day while the action
lasted): 81 am all right, so far" A few
hours afterwards he sent second dispatch,
while lying upon the battlefield desDer.
ately-and presumably fatally-wognded
81 am severely wounded, not MORALLY
Join me at once in Philadelphia. Parker
and Miller, fear, are gone up"
GEN. LEE AS DOMESTIC ADVISER.
How well | remember Gen. Robert E.
| Lee, then a major. who was stationed there
at that time, he was the beau ideal of a SOL
| good-by and Godspeedsupon the eve of our
| departure, be said to me: ~ understand
| that you contemplate DESERVING your post,
| which is by your husbands side, and that
| you are not going to California with him.
| If you will pardon me l should like to
give You little advice. You must not
think OF doing this. As one considerably
older than Hancock, and had greater ex-
1 perience, consider it fatal to the future
happiness of young married people. upon
small provocation, to live apart. either for
q short or long time. The result is invar-
iably that they cease to be essential to each
| other. Now promise me that you will not
PEI NIT him to sail without you"
THE sequel shows how faithfully l
sought to follow that noble mans admo.
| milton and how often in my varied expe-
| rience had occasion to transmit to others
his disinterested, truthful convictions,
| With many regrets we babe adieu to host
| of friends, most of whom / never saw
again, Not so with my husband, however.
De net them face to face on the battle
| ft Id in less than three years."
After crossing the Isthmus of Panama
Capt. Hancock ard his wife embarked on
the Golden Gate for San Francisco. There
| were ], $50 passengers In all, and those in
the steerage were presumptuous and ag.
| gIessiye. Somehow they conceived a
| grUdee against Hancock, and one OF their
| number, to whom he had once done a
favor, warned him of their ill intentions.
THE following morning, before break.
fast, Mr.. Hancock was called 10 the upper
deck in haste TO protect our little son OF
| nine years from an assault which had been
made upon him by six villains. who had
tTIed to injure him by dragging the child
by the hair of the head from one end oil
| the deck to the other. He was not many
minutes in routing this party and forcing
them, by his determined bearing, to stand
before him in the presence of several
hundred passengers. He warned them at
their peril never to approach him, and
i uCNC1 oEoAh W 10y OpOA
child, or he would Kill every man who at
tempted it. This salutary lesson had the
desired effect for the rest OF the voyage
Yet we fully realized that a smoulderinf
volcano was alive beneath US. Captain
Whiting remarked, and others also, tina
they had never witnessed '6ercer assault
and quicker rout than that one, without
lock, stock or barrel in sight Yet every
man YVES armed with knife, and OF cours'
Mr.. Hancock also wss well prepared Il
defend himself"
| CHE coURTED DEATH"
| A dramatic scene, one of a Thousand
similar ones in those sad days, is set befor,
the reader in the next passage quote:
"a never.to-be-forgo;ten evening wa
the one spent at our home by the Officers
| who were to start upon their overland triI
TO The South at II o'clock that night
Gen. end Mrs. Johnston were of the party
The most crushed was Msjol
ATmisiesd, who, with tears, which were
contagious, streaming down bis face aud
hap DIS upon Mr.. Hancock shoulders, while
looking him steadily in the eye, said
Hancock. good-by; you can never know
what this has cost me, and hope Goo
leave my native soil, should worse come
to worse Turning to me, he placed |
small sRtchel in my hand, requesting tha
il should not be opened except in the even
Of bis death, in which case the souvenir
| 1T contained, with the exception of
little prayer.boOk intended for me